"What do you mean?"
"It's literal. The Four Beasts actually have five people—doesn't everyone know that?"
The young man laughed.
"Hahaha…
"You never saw it coming, did you?
"Our fifth member has already reported everything that happened here. The Herd are on their way. You're finished!"
Ron frowned, thinking it over. Previously, he'd observed only four people in total, and the intel from Nightfall also indicated there were just four in the Four Beasts.
"But back then, there really wasn't a fifth.
"Ponzu didn't notice anyone.
"Chii didn't pick up on anyone either.
"No matter how skilled someone's concealment is, they couldn't have hidden that perfectly, especially without knowing Chii's capabilities. Her hive-sense isn't some flimsy trick."
This left only one possibility.
"That person isn't a powerful Nen user.
"Maybe they're just an ordinary person."
Ron reviewed the memories carefully while issuing a command to Chii.
"Chii, run a probability check on any suspicious individuals."
Without drawing attention, Ron pulled out the phone from one of the burly men locked in Sumas's space. Chii hacked into it and quickly retrieved the contact list. Only a few dozen numbers were stored.
"Chii, place virtual calls to each of those numbers."
Chii monitored all accessible surveillance in parallel. Not long after, a certain young man caught her attention. She relayed the footage to Ron, who studied the screen. The moment Chii began calling, this youth took out his phone, but hesitated, then hung up without answering. He also happened to be on the "suspicious" list. In all likelihood, he was the Four Beasts' fifth member.
Ron displayed the photo on his phone, then showed it to the kneeling young man in front of him.
"It's this person, right?"
The young man's pupils contracted sharply. Ron, taking that reaction as confirmation, wasted no time. He lifted a hand and fired a Nen Bullet into the youth's forehead.
"Splurch!"
The shot pierced cleanly. The young man's eyes went wide—partly in frustration at dying here, partly in disbelief at how quickly Ron identified their hidden accomplice.
"Thud!"
He collapsed heavily. Ron dragged the body away to a secluded corner, then shoved it into Sumas's space—more precisely, into the Trial Grounds inside, letting the corpse serve as nourishment there.
"No wonder no one could find him.
"He's too weak—so weak it's easy to overlook him.
"He's only about C-Class.
"Roughly on par with a lower-tier Shadow Beast.
"At first glance, anyone would think he's just an ordinary person.
"How did someone like that end up as one of the Four Beasts?"
Ron was puzzled.
"Maybe he has some special ability?"
He soon located the suspect in question, who was sitting in a café by the window. Ron watched from a rooftop across the street, overlooking him from above. The suspect didn't notice a thing.
"Natsu," Ron said, "cause a bit of trouble in that café."
Natsu zipped over to the area.
"Boom!"
Flames burst into life, igniting the café's storeroom. It was so close to the main shop that the fire spread rapidly.
"Fire!
"Get out of here!
"Call for help!"
The young man quickly grabbed his coffee to leave. Right then, a hand landed on his shoulder, making him stiffen.
"Don't move."
A slender Nen Needle pressed against his throat.
"This needle is coated in a lethal toxin. One prick and you die. And you know who I am, right?"
The youth nodded in acknowledgment. Ron guided him into a secluded alleyway before he could utter a word.
Crack!
Crack!
In two swift moves, Ron dislocated all four of the youth's limbs. Natsu stood behind him, gripping the back of his neck so he couldn't try anything. Even the slightest resistance, and Natsu would kill him on the spot.
"What's your name?"
"P-Parker."
"You're the Four Beasts' fifth member?"
"More or less…"
"What's your ability?"
"I don't… I don't really have one. I just recently learned Nen and haven't had a chance to develop any powers yet."
Ron narrowed his eyes. A newcomer to Nen already at C-Class aura level? That hardly seemed possible, unless his talent was beyond extraordinary—enough to eclipse prodigies like Ron, Gon, or Killua, and even Ging Freecss himself.
"If you're lying, you know what'll happen, right?"
"I'm not lying, I swear! I really don't have any ability!"
Just then, Ponzu's voice buzzed in Ron's ear.
"Captain, there's something off about him. The Hive Queen says this individual isn't actually human—he's more like the same kind of creature as her."
Ron's gaze sharpened. After a moment of silence, he locked eyes with the trembling young man.
"Tell me everything you know—about Oster, about yourself. Your identity, background, history—don't hide a single detail."
Tears nearly spilled from the youth's eyes.
"I'll talk! Please, don't kill me!
"I'm Oster's illegitimate son. I grew up with my mother, never knew who my father was. I thought I was just a regular kid from a single-parent family. Then one day, my mother died, and I got taken to Oster. He told me who I really was.
"After that, he brought me to some lab. They did all kinds of experiments on me. I was only six when I went in, and I stayed there ten whole years.
"I only got out recently. Oster made me join the Four Beasts as the fifth hidden member. That's when they started teaching me Nen. I barely learned Ten, Zetsu, Gyo, and Ren before this mission came up."